Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-02
Cattle Kings Worried.
From the Chjcd0o Mail.


There is not hotel in Chicago where
one does not meet daily Notwithstanding
ranchmen, some OF them millionaIres by
repute, owners OF herds with thousands
of steers In them, who are on here nego-
tiating the sale of their properties. They
have amassed fortunes. They were pion-
GERS in raising cattle on the plains, when
the grass was plenty and the ranges as
free as the air. They are anxious now
and their faces troubled, because they
see the fortunes which they were years
amassing, fortunes on the hoOf still and
spread over the plains, threatened by the
disappearance OF the grass. In the testi-
mony at Laramie the Chicago men were
told. as an instance, of one herd Tor which
$37 900 was paid year ago last spring
Twelve thousand dollars was paid to win.
ter them. When marketed thev were as
thin as they could b., and when sold thew
brought $27, 900. instead of the $37, 900 they
cost.
The witness said that there was going
to be next spring panic among the cat
temen; that they had work
ed their mine out. The few
early ones who went into her
ing before 1t was overdOne, who had the
free prairies to fatten their steers on, and
VINO made haste 10 get rich and get out,
were the only lucky ones. There is TO he
hCAb ibEs oO bhOy UCliCFC al q,
such a pricking of great Western ranch
balloons as had never before been heard Of
A Chicago lawyer who accompanied the
Chicago men out to Wyoming TO take Il e
testimony, told the writer that he minglt d
with the Englishmen who bad bought III
terests In cattle ranches; that he was at
their club at Laramie. They are, he found.
all sriving to get out. They see their
fate, and are only anxious about saving
some OF the wreckage.
The bunch grass is gone; not a loss to
throw an ordinary man into a panic. But
1t is enough TO make the owner of $4,000
head OF cattle turn pale. The great, long,
heavy grass OF the prairies, which ia Juicy
and fattening In the summer and which
in winter dries standing, so that, with
even two feet of snow on the ground, its
cured tops poke themselves above the
surIace-this is the bunch grass" 1t
has fattened millions OF cattle on the
ranges for twenty years. II has been
burned over Dy prairie fires, trampled on
by thousands OF boots and eaten by the
cattle until at last il has been driven out
The pastures have year by wear grown
smaller aud smaller, toe herds bigger and
bigger. The grass has mean while peen
eaten closer ana closer, until last sum.
mer the "buncn grass" grew 0nly to the
height OF q few inches. n W the whole
Cdbbic-RlhHtuE COuhLlH ~ IN panic. Inc
beeveS are gong into fierce winter with
no fodder. At Laramie the Enslishmen
say that overcrowdiog has eaten the
grass so fast that seed, root and all has
been devoured. The result will bea va
ana widespread liquidation among tue
cattle raisers. There has been more or
Tess comment on this situation in the
TerritotjeS; and there have been some
NEWSPAPER articles written on the deplUr-
able night OF the catiiemen. the cattle
kin3B as efi as the little faegers. But
the news brought back by this party OF
Chfcagoans puts the matter IN very
mucp ID ore sensational way than any body
here Gonld believe possible. They pre-
dict disa sterl FOR that whole industry out
there. They say that " is absolutely I'm
evitable tina 70 tens OF thousands OF cattle
should starve this winter. They declare
that the rim ~ cattle business is reyoiu-
tioniZe6, and that many great cattle
owners are simply staring ruin in the
face. The cattle lived on the bunch grass.
1t is gone.